Sunday, March 2, 2008
praying with the brothers
We drove into Oakland today to pray with the Dominicans at their priory. And let me say, "It was good." It was good to be with a fraternity of religious who are committed daily to prayer, chastity, teaching, poverty, obedience, am I leaving anything out? Some of the priests I've known for almost 30 years. They are still there, as Dominicans, living out their vocations, still preaching and showing up for liturgy on Sunday. My question as we were leaving Oakland was : how come I can appreciate so much the opportunity we have to pray with these men this week and then another week be exasperated with the fact that they are all men, students of philosophy and theology, and living outside of my world? Fr. Michael Sweeney talks about the need for the laity and the ordained to honor each other's distinct calling... one whose work is about conforming the world to the teachings of the gospel and the other to be administering the sacraments to the Church. Perhaps, the tension I feel is exactly what I tried to describe above and is due to the distinction Fr. Michael is making. We need to be with our people. which brings up my excitement about the cathedral... (I won't be thrilled to see dozens of priests on the altar).. but, because I can't wait to see our diocese in one place... let us be one.
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2 comments:
I think going to daily mass has some of the same qualities as praying with the Dominicans. It feels like the liturgy has been boiled down to its essence. But, maybe in ways unlike being with the priests and brothers, I DO feel like I'm with my people. I feel like daily mass is the best kept secret in the Church - somehow relegated to the place beyond the experience of most Catholics.
I appreciate the sense of continuity and real community that the Dominican community offers you. The fact that you drop in and pray with them from time to time and they are always there...for thirty years you have known some of these guys....that sense of constant community is something I experienced as a lay person in lay society when I lived in Blacksburg,Virginia, but I rarely experience that now that I've moved back to my hometown of Oakland. To experience that same depth of presence that comes only over time is seemingly rare in urban America of the early 21st century.
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